In South Africa, a xenophobic movement wants to prevent black foreigners from accessing healthcare
Riding a wave of anger against illegal African migrants, citizen groups in South Africa are trying to ban them from hospitals and clinics, saying they are adding to the already strained system.
It's a "sickening situation," according to the Daily Maverick : after the hunt for foreign street vendors and small business owners, several anti-immigrant groups are now targeting those who come to South African public institutions for treatment.
The newspaper notably reports on “a father’s fight for medical dignity” in Durban: this asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of Congo, although he has valid papers, “was unable to obtain [for more than a week] medication for his 8-year-old autistic son.” The online media Ground Up gives voice to immigrant mothers in Johannesburg who “say they cannot get their children vaccinated because they are denied access to public clinics.”
“The crux of the problem is that they are using resources that are meant for South Africans,” said a March and March activist interviewed by the Mail & Guardian . Similar actions are also being carried out by Operation Dudula, a group known for its marches targeting black foreigners.
And, with the 2026 local elections approaching, parties such as the Patriotic Alliance (PA) are not being left behind: the political party, whose leader, Gayton McKenzie , is
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